The Construction 2050 Alliance is a partnership established in 2020 made of more than 50 European organizations representing the actors of the built environment working together to advance the needs and priorities of the wider construction and built-environment sector at the European level.

The Construction 2050 Alliance has been established to coordinate common political messages of the construction value chain and raise the political importance of the sector at the European level.

Initiated by the European Builders Confederation EBC, the European Construction Industry Federation FIEC, the Committee for European Construction Equipment CECE and Construction Products Europe, this Alliance constitutes an unprecedented level of cooperation under a common vision towards a sustainable construction sector.

Looking ahead towards 2050

Looking ahead and trying to project ourselves in 2050, how do we picture ourselves andour society in this not too distant future?

Around 75% of the EU population will be living in urban areas, in smart cities with energy efficient and accessible buildings, made by more efficient products andappliances. The deployment of smart buildings’ management systems will have contributed to a better quality of life and to better renovation and maintenance of our buildings. The use of digital technologies from the design phase, throughout the life cycle of the buildings and the integration of innovative materials will also contribute significantly to the development and application of the principles of the Circular Economy and ultimately to an inclusive transition towards a climate-neutral Europe.

Communication technologies will have produced a paradigm shift in our daily life. City planning, autonomous transport systems, new delivery technologies, “mobility as a service” such as car and bike sharing services, and alternative working schemes such as teleworking will have completely changed the way in which people and goods move and interact. Smart infrastructure, constantly connected to our transport, will have improved and made safer the mobility of people and goods across the EU, thereby improving the competitiveness of our economies and our wellbeing.

This sustainable Europe of tomorrow cannot be achieved without all the actors involved in the construction process. In fact, the construction sector is at the heart of our life: construction enterprises and their workers build the homes we live in, the roads on which we travel and the buildings we work or learn in. European citizens spend – on average – over 90% of their time indoors, meaning that our health and wellbeing strongly depends on how our buildings are built, maintained and renovated.

Without the construction sector the European Union cannot respond to its main challenges: competitiveness, youth unemployment, digital economy, urban regeneration, energy efficiency and energy poverty, circular economy, affordable housing, climate change, mobility and connected infrastructure etc. Moreover, the construction sector is a fundamental component of Europe’s economic growth and a major source of employment. It generates about 9% of gross domestic product (GDP) in the European Union and provides 18 million direct jobs.

Click here to read the full founding paper.